System of storing and conveying inflammable and other liquids.



H. VON EIGKEN. SYSTEM OF STORING AND CONVEYING INFLAMMABLE AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16,1912.

1L 7 k,98, Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

Unitarian sraras rerun union,

HERMANN VON EICKEN, 0F FRIEDENAU, GERMANY.

SYSTEM OF STORING AND CONVEYING INFLAMMABLE AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

incense.

Application filed November 16, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, HERMANN VON EIOKEN, chief engineer, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, and resident of Friedenau, near Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Storing and Conveying Inflammable and other Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

My invent-ion relates to improvements in a system of storing and conveying inflammable and other liquids. When storing or conveying liquids which are dangerous in some way, such for example as inflammable liquids, it is necessary to provide means whereby in case of a leakage or other injury considerable quantities of the liquid are prevented from escaping from the conduit or receptacle. For this purpose the receptacle or conduit has been provided with a jacket for a protecting fluid under pressure, which fluid was in operative connection with another fluid under pressure serving to convey the inflammable liquid to the place of use or discharge. The arrangement was such that in case of leakage in the conduit or in the jacket, the resulting reduction in the pressure within the jacket caused the operation of mechanical means to open an outlet for the fluid under pressure which served to force the inflammable liquid to the place of discharge; thus in the event of an injury to the conveying pipe or its jacket, the forcing of the inflammable liquid from its receptacle would cease automatically.

The object of my present invention is to avoid the provision of mechanical means in a device of the character indicated above.

According to my invention, a liquid seal is employed instead of the mechanical means for opening an outlet under the conditions mentioned above.

My present improvement presents the ad vantage of greater certainty and efficiency of operation, since it avoids friction, sticking or rusting, which frequently interferes with the proper operation of mechanical devices such as cocks or valves; moreover, since a liquid seal will free the entire cross section of the outlet for the escape of the foreing or propelling fluid, the time required for the escape of such fluid may be made very short by giving the liquid seal a correspondingly large cross section.

In order that my invention be more Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. '7, 1913.

Serial No. 731,706.

clearly understood an example embodying the same has been shown in the accompanying drawing, which shows a diagrammatical view of my improved system.

Referring to the example illustrated in the drawing, the liquid seal consists of a vertical tube a connected at its upper end with a receptacle 6 open at the top to the surrounding air, and at its lower end with two pressure tubes 0 and (Z. The pressure within the tube 0 corresponds to the pressure within the storing receptacle 1", and the pressure within the tube d corresponds to the pressure of the liquid inclosed within the jacket m of the conveying tube a. In the normal operation (that is to say, as soon as some liquid has been withdrawn through a), the pipe 02 is filled with the same liquid as the lower part of the storing receptacle 1', forming virtually an extension thereof, so that said pipe 72 with the receptacle 1" may be termed a container for the inflammable liquid. From the pressure tube 0 there is branched off at f a tube 9 which communicates with the receptacle 6. The tubes 0, f, g form a safety outlet for the pressure fluid from the storing receptacle 1". The pressure tube d is formed with two enlarged port-ions providing chambers e and h, and at its upper end it terminates into an elevated re ceptacle 70. As shown the upper part 2' of the pressure tube cl is connected with the jacket m of the tube a through a branch tube 0.

Within the tubes 9, c and a there is a suitable sealing liquid, such as mercury, which is indicated by the hatching made in full horizontal lines. The mercury or other sealing liquid also fills the lower portion of the pressure tube cl and part of the chamber h and is adapted to rise at times into the chamber 6. Thus, the sealing liquid is contained in a holder having two upright branches, one of which (it, cl, 6) communicates with the jacket m, while the other has a member (0) connected with the pressure space of the container r, and another member (a) connected with the discharge end of the safety outlet. The liquid within the jacket 1% and the pressure tube d has been indicated by hatching made in dotted lines. Under normal conditions the said liquids are held, under the pressures acting thereon, at the levels shown in the drawing, so that the upper part of the tube a is disconnected from the branch tube 9. Therefore the storing receptacle is closed as against the safety outlet through the branch tube 9. If however the pressure within the acket m is reduced, the pressure within the storing receptacle and the pressure tube 0 forces the mercury within the tubes at and 0 down ward, and upward into the chamber 6 of the pressure tube (Z, so that the pressure Within the tube 0 and the storing receptacle is reduced to atmospheric pressure.

The mercury within the tubing 0, f, g, a, 7) provides a liquid seal for the pressure fluid in the upper portion of the storing receptacle and is held within the said tubing entirely by the pressure of the liquid inclosed within the acket m. The weight of the mercury in a and 0 forces the mercury upward into the enlarged portion 6 of the pressure tube (Z, as soon as the pressure within the tube cl is reduced. This happens when a leakage occurs in the jacketm, and after so much of the liquid inclosed therein has escaped as corresponds to the capacity of the stand-pipe or pressure tube '5 and the receptacle 7c. the mercury is forced below the point f where the tube 9 is branched off, so that the pres sure tube (2 connected with the storing receptacle permits the escape of the pressure fluid from the storage receptacle through the tube g, the upper end of said tube 9 forming the discharge end of the safety outlet.

The heights of the column of mercury and of the liquid within the tube (Z should be such, that the difference of the level of the mercury within the receptacle 6 and the point where the tube 9 is branched off corresponds to the highest pressure in the storing receptacle 1, and that the difference between the level of the mercury within the enlarged chamber h and the point 1 where the tube 9 is branched off corresponds to the difference between the pressure of the liquid within the jacket m and the pressure acting on the liquid to be stored and conveyed.

The pressure within the jacket m is reduced even by a slight escape of liquid from the jacket m into the tube n or into the atmosphere. Therefore even a slight leakage of the tube conveying the liquid to be stored or of the jacket inclosing said tube will remove the pressure acting on the liquid to be stored, so that the inflammable liquid is prevented from flowing out of the storing receptacle. A uniform pressure is maintained in the storage receptacle 1' in any suitable manner, as by connecting said receptacle with a flask containing gas under pressure, and provided with a reducing valve, as usual, said flask or cylinder be ing indicated in the drawing at the right of the storing receptacle 1*. The cover of said receptacle is imperforate except for the connection with the said flask or cylinder.

At the same time and the openings for the tubes 0 and n; the surrounding tube forming the jacket m does not pass through the cover of the receptacle r, so that said jacket has no direct communication with the interior of the receptacle.

By constructing the tube 0 with a proper cross-section, the time within which the pressure of the storing receptacle is reduced can be made as short as desired, because always the whole cross-sectional area is made effective to reduce the said pressure. The column of mercury may be used as a manome ter to measure the pressure of the liquid to be stored, for which purpose a scale 7) is provided at the side of the tube 0'.

I claim:

1. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a connection between said jacket and said safety outlet, and a body of sealing liquid contained in said connect-ion and adapted to normally close said outlet, but to open it in the event of the jackets leaking.

2. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a connection between said jacket and said safety outlet, a body of sealing liquid contained in said connection and adapted to close or open said outlet, and a body ofpressure-exerting liquid filling said jacket and resting on the sealing liquid to normally close said outlet.

3. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a body of protective fluid filling said acket under a pressure different from the one under which the liquid is to be stored or conveyed, a connection between said safety outlet and said jacket, and a body of sealing liquid contained in said connection, said sealing liquid being normally held by the pressure from the jacket and by the pressure acting on the liquid to be stored or conveyed, in a position in which it closes said safety outlet.

4. In asystem for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a body of protective fluid filling said jacket under a pressure higher than the one under which the liquid is to be stored or conveyed, and a I holder for a sealing liquid, said holder having two upright branches, one of which communicates at its upper portion with the said jacket while the upper portion of the other branch communicates with said safety outlet.

5. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a body of protective fluid filling said jacket under a pressure higher than the one under which the liquid is to be stored or conveyed, and a holder for a sealing liquid, said holder comprising two upright branches one of which communicates at its upper portion with said jacket while the other has a member connected at its upper end with the pressurefluid space of the container and another member connected at its upper end with the discharge end of the safety outlet.

6. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a body of protective fluid filling said jacket under a pressure higher than the one under which the liquid is to be stored or conveyed, and a holder for a sealing liquid, said holder having two upright branches one of which communicates at its upper portion with the said jacket while the upper portion of the other branch communicates with the pressure-fluid space of the container.

7. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, and a holder for a sealing liquid, said holder having two upright branches one of which communicates at its upper portion with the said jacket while the upper portion of the other branch communicates with the pressure-fluid space of the container.

8. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, and a holder for a sealing liquid, said holder comprising two upright branches one of which communicates at its upper portion with said jacket while the other has a member connected at its upper end with the pressure-fluid space of the container and another member connected at its upper end with the discharge end of the safety outlet.

9. In a system for storing or conveying liquids with the aid of a pressure fluid, the combination. of a container having a safety outlet for said pressure fluid and adapted to contain said liquid, a jacket surrounding a portion of said container, a holder for a sealing liquid, said holder having two upright branches one of which communicates at its upper portion with said jacket while the upper portion of the other branch communicates with the pressure-fluid space of the container, and a stand pipe forming an extension of that branch whose upper portion communicates with the jacket.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN VON EICKEN.

Witnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsrnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. C. 

